A small Cretaceous crocodyliform in a dinosaur nesting ground and the origin of sebecids
Sellés, Albert G. (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Blanco, Alejandro (Universidade da Coruña. Centro de Investigacións Científicas Avanzadas)
Vila, Bernat (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Marmi, Josep (Museu de la Conca Dellà (Isona, Catalunya))
López-Soriano, Francisco J. (Universitat de Barcelona. Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular)
Llácer, Sergio (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Frigola, Jaime (Universitat de Barcelona. Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l'Oceà)
Canals Artigas, Miquel (Universitat de Barcelona. Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l'Oceà)
Galobart, Àngel (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)

Date:	2020
Abstract:	Sebecosuchia was a group of highly specialized cursorial crocodyliforms that diversified during the Cretaceous and persist until the end of the Miocene. Their unique combination of cranial and post-cranial features indicates that they were active terrestrial predators that occupied the apex of the Late Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems, even competing with theropod dinosaurs. Here, we report the discovery of the earliest sebecid worldwide, and the first from Eurasia, Ogresuchus furatus gen. et sp. nov. , based on a semi-articulate specimen located in a titanosaurian sauropod nesting ground. The new taxon challenges current biogeographical models about the early dispersal and radiation of sebecid crocodylomorphs, and suggests an origin of the group much earlier than previously expected. Moreover, the new taxon suggests a potential convergent evolution between linages geographically isolated. Taphonomic evidences suggest that Ogresuchus died almost in the same place where fossilized, in a dinosaur nesting area. Biometric and morphologic observations lead to speculate that Ogresuchus could easily predate on sauropod hatchlings.
Grants:	Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2017/SGR-315
Note:	Aquest article té una correcció a 10.1038/s41598-021-81062-5.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Published in:	Scientific reports, Vol. 10 (September 2020) , art. 15293, ISSN 2045-2322

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71975-y
PMID: 32943663

11 p, 7.9 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP)
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